Operating bulkhead-doors.



PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

A= A. BUCK. OPERATING BULKHEAD DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1904.

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Witnesses PATENTED MAY 14, 1907.

A. A. BUCK.

OPERATING BULKHEAD DOORS.-

APPLICATION FILED nu 20.1904.

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L INI'IED STATES PA'IENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR A. BUCK, OF SOHENEOTADY, NEIV YORK, ASSIGN OR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14, 1907.

Application filed May 20, 1904. Serial No. 208,892.

To In whom it many concern.-

not: that is, I provide a switch, yielding Be it known that I, ARTHUR A. BUCK, a means for maintaining it normally in its oil citizen of the 'United States, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Op crating Bulkhead- Doors, of which the following is a specifica- 'tion.

My invention relates to control systems for water-tight bulk-head doors, and is adapted particularly for use on ship-board; although it is not limited to this particular application, but is also adapted to the control of fire hatches, doors, gates, valves, etc., in facto ries, theaters, etc.

In a control system for bullehead doors, it is essential that all doors should be simultaneously controllable from a single point, and also that each individual door should be controllable locally, independently of the distant control, and irrespective of the condition at any instant ofthe distant control system. Thus, hydraulic systems have been devised, comprising hydraulically operated means at each door for closing it, all of said means being controllable from a single distant point, together with a manually controlled valve at each door adapted to disable the distant control and enable an operator at the door to open or close it at will and regardless of the operation of the other doors by the distant control. Similarly, electrical systems have been devised, in which an electric motor is placed at each door and arranged, when energized, to open and close it, with a control system for all the motors enabling them to be simultaneouslyenergized from a distant point, and a switch at each door for disabling the distant control by breaking the control circuit and enabling the operator at the door to start the motor in either direction to open or close it, regardless of the operation. of the other motors.

By my invention I do not at any time disable the distant control nor in any way modify the distant control system in order to obtain the requisite local control, but I provide elastic or yielding connections between the switch at the door and the distant controlling means, so that the elastic connections may be strained to move the switch manually to any desired position, regardlessfiof whether the distant control mechanism is energized or E l l l l l F l a l l l l position, and a distant control system for shifting the f oint to which the switch tends to return when manually released, without in. any way interfering with the manual control of the switch by straining the yielding returning means. When the manual operating means is released, the switch returns antomatically either to its off position or to the position to which the distant control mechanism when energized tends to move it, according as the distant control mechanism is deenergized or energized. The effect of the manually operated control upon the switch with reference to the distant control is simply that of straining the yielding connections between the switch and the distant control, while the effect of the distant control on the switch with reference to the manual control is simply that of shifting the position to which the switch returns when released.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 shows an electrically-operated bulk-head door, to which my invention is applicable; Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same, a cross-section being shown on the broken line (L a of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of controlling switch arranged in accordance with my invention; Figs. L and 5 show modifications of the connections between the switch and the distant control mechanism; and Fig. 6 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of the control circuit.

In Fig. l, A represents a bulk-head door movable in the guides A, and carrying the toothed rack a. B is an electric motor driving the worm wheel I), which engages gear wheel 0 on shaft C. Shaft 0 also carries the pinion c, which engages the toothed rack a. Thus, as the motor revolves in one direction or the other, the door A is raised or lowered. I) represents a controlling switch which, in Figs. 1 and 2, is shown only in outline. Controlling switch D carries on its shaft the bevel gear (l, which is engaged by the bevel gear 6 on shaft E, which carries the wheels or handles 6 by means of which the controller may be moved manually to its different positions.

InFigJl3, D represents the motor controlling switch having the stationary contact lingers i, i, etc, and two sets of movable contacts to and It to c, the former only being shown in this figure. Controlling switch 1) carries at one end the pin g, which is engaged by a spring 7r coiled around the shaft H, which is on a line with the shaft of controller D. The other end of spring 7L engages the pin g, which is carried by one arm of the bell-crank lever G rigidly secured to shaft H. The other end of bell-crank lever G- is held against the stop .9 by the tension spring S, and is also connected to the core 6 of solenoid L. Spring 7L is so constructed that its ends press toward each other, norin ally holding pins 9 and g close together, as shown. Spring S acts to hold the bell-crank lever G, and consequently controller D in the position shown, which is the oil-position of the controller. Solenoid L is included in the distant control circuit, as will be hereinafter described. It is evident that if solenoid L is energized, core Zwill be drawn down, stretclv ing tension spring S, rocking bell-crank lever G, and rotating the cylinder D which, it free to revolve, will be driven by the spring 72., pressing upon the pin g. The controller D may thus be moved to bring the movable contacts 7', j etc., into engagement with the stationary contacts i, 0, etc, thereby closing the motor circuit so as to close the door. If, however, it is desired to control the door loeally, controller D may be rotated by means of the wheels 0 (shown in Figs. and 2), against the tension of spring 71, so as to move the controller to its oil-position, or to the position for raising the door. Thus, by means of a yielding or elastic connection formed by the spring 7r, the door may be locally controlled at will, without interrupting or altering in any way, the control circuit but simply by manually over-powering the effect upon the control mechanism of the distant control system. hen handle c is released, however, the switch will return to the off-position as shown, if solenoid L is deenergized but if solenoid L is energized the switch will return to the position in which contacts j, j, etc. are in engagement with contacts i, i, etc. Thus by moving the handle, the effect of the solenoid may be over-powered and he switch moved to any desired position, while by the energizing of the solenoid the position to which the switch tends to return when manually released is shifted.

In Fig. 4: another arrangement is shown in which the core lit rigidly connected to switch D, the normal off position being determined by the centering springs S and S. With this arrangen'rent it is necessary to pull core L out of the solenoid when it is desired to overthe switch.

In F 1g. 5, the centering spring S is placed above the core and the stop Z is provided for limiting the upward movement of the core and forming the abutment for the lower end of spring S when switch D is in its normal oll' position. With this arrangement, as with that of Fig. 3, it is not necessary to pull core Z out of the solenoid in order to over-power manually the effect of the solenoid on the switch. In all these arrangements and in many equivalent arrangements that may be devised, the solenoid shifts the position to which the switch tends to return when manually released.

{eferring now to F (5, m m represent the mains or line-wires connected. to any suitable source of current indicated by M. B and B represent two operating motors for two doors. L represents the windings of the solenoid L of Fig. 3. The controlling switch D is shown with its contacts developed on a plane surface. N represents the dis ant control station comprising a plurality of switches 12. The operation is as follows: Assume that the doors are raised, and that it is desired at station to close all the doors on the ship. The switches a a are thrown, and a circuit is closed, from the mains in or through solenoids L, L. As has already been explained, the energizing of the solenoid rotates switch D, so as to bring the contacts j, j, etc., into engagement with stationary contacts i, i etc. The circuit is then completed, as follows: from main m to contact i, contact j, contact i, through armature of motor B, contact 01 contact j contact if, through ilield of motor B, contact 71', contact f, contact i to main or. The circuit of the motor is consequently closed, and the motor revolves in the proper direction to lower the door. Now it, while the door is closing, it is desired by someone at the door to prevent its closing or to raise the door, the switch I) may be drawn over to its oil position or to its other running position, thereby bringing the contacts is, F, into engagement with the stationary contacts 4., i etc. It will be seen by tracing out the circuits that the motor B is again energized but with its arn'rature reversed, and consequently will operate to open the door.

t will be evident that the arrangement which I have shown and. described may be greatly varied in many ways. The construc tion and arrangement of contacts of switch I D, the means for holding it normally in off position, the connections between the distant control mechanism and the switch and the arrangement of circuits, may all be altered to meet varying requirements. Accordingly l: aim in the appended claims to cover all such modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention. power manually the effect of the solenoid on l 'What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 13,

1. In combination, a device to be moved,

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an electric mo tor for operating said device, a controlling switch "for said motor, electro-responsive means controllable from a distance and adapted to operate said switch, elastic connections between said switch and said means, and manually operated means near said device for moving said switch independently of said electro-responsive means.

2. In combination, a device to be moved, a motor for operating said device, a controller for said motor, means for operating said controller from a distance, elastic connections between said controller and said operating means, and manually controlled means near said device adapted to move said controller independently of said operatin means.

3. In combination, a device to be moved, an electric motor adapted to operate said device, a controlling switch for said motor, a

solenoid having its core operativel'y connected to said switch and adapted when energized to move said switch to one oi" its running positions, and means for moving said switch to another position without disturbing the circuit of said solenoid or moving its core.

4. In combination, a device to be moved, an electric motor adapted to operate said device, a controlling switch for said motor, a solenoid adapted when energized to move said switch to one oi its running positions, elastic connections between said switch and said solenoid, and means for manually straining said elastic connections so as to move said. switch to another position without disturbing said solenoid.

5. In combination, a device to be moved, a motor for operating said device, a controller for said motor, means for operating said controller from a distance, elastic connections between said controller and said operating means, and means near said device for straining said elastic connections so as to move said controller without disturbing said operating means.

6. In combination, a system of doors, a motor for operating each door, a controller for each motor, a control system comprising a distant station and operating means for the several controllers controlled from the distant station, and an elastic connection between each controller and its operating means, whereby each controller ma be moved by straining said elastic connection without moving the operating means.

7. In combination, a system of doors, an electric motor for operating each door, a controlling switch for each motor, a control s tem comprising electro-responsive operating means for the several controlling switches, control wires extending to a distant station and switches at said distant station, and an elastic connection between each controlling switch and its operating means, whereb each controlling switch may be moved by strainin the said elastic connection without moving the operating means or distubrim; the connections of the control system.

8. In combination with an electric motor, a manuallv-operated reversing switch for said motor, means for maintaining said switch normally in its oil position, and means controllable from a distant point for moving said maintaining means into a position to bring the said switch into one oi its operative positions.

9. In combination with an electric motor, a inannally-operated reversing switch for said motor, means for maintaining said switch normally in its oil position, an electromagnet for moving said maintaining means into a position to close said switch, and means located at a distant point for controlling the circuit of said electromagnet.

10. In combination with an electric motor, manually-operated reversing switch i or said motor, maintaining means constructed and arranged to maintain said switch normallfv in its oil position but to permit a lree movement of the said switch through its manually-operated means, means for moving said maintaining means into a position to close the switch, and means located at a distaut point for controlling the operation of the latter means.

ll. In combination, a reversible motor, a manually-operated controlling device for causing said motor to operate in either direction, means for maintaining said controlling device normally in its oil position, the said means being constructed and arranged to oppose the free movement of the said c0ntrolling device when it is manually operated and to return the said controlling device to a certain definite position when the manually-operated means is released, and means controllable from a distant point for moving said maintaining means into a position to cause the said controlling device to assume one of its operative positions.

12. In combination, an electric motor, a reversing switch for said motor, an operating handle for said switch, a switch moving member adapted to be actuated from a distant point to move said switch. from its oil position to one of its operative positions, and yielding means normally maintaining said reversing switch in a iixed position with relerence to said switch moving member.

13. In combination, an electric motor, a reversing switch for said motor, an o )erating handle for said switch, a switch moving member arranged to maintain said switch normallv in its oil position and adapted to be actuated from a distant point to move said switch .lrom its oil' position into one of its operative positions, and yielding means normally maintaining said reversing switch in a fixed position with reference to said switch L moving member.

14:. In combination, a manually-operated switch having a plurality of operative positions, means for maintaining said switch normally in its ofi position, and means controllable from a distance and adapted to shift the position to which said. switch is returned when manually released.

15. In combination, a manually-operated switch having a plurality of operative positions, means for maintaining said switch normally in its ofl position, and means controllalole from a distance and acting upon said maintaining means to shift the position. to which said switch is returned by said maintaining means when manually released.

16. In combination, a manually-operated switch having a plurality of operative positions, means for maintaining said switch normally in its oil position, and means controllahle from a distance and acting upon said maintaining means to shift said switch to an operative position.

17. In combination, a manual]y-operated switch having a plurality of operative positions, means for maintaining said switch n or mally in its oil position, an electromagnct acting upon said maintaining means to shift said switch to an operative position, and a switch at a distant station controlling the circuit of said electromagnet.

18. In combination, a switch, an operating handle therefor, yielding means for main.- taining said switch normally .in. its oil. position, and a distant control system comprising means for shifting the point'to which the switch tends to return when the operating handle is released.

1.9. In. combination, a switch, an operating handle therefor, yielding means for maintaining said switch normally in its oil position, and a distant control system comprising electrically-operated means for shifting the point to which the switch tends to return when the operating handle is released.

20. In con'ihination, a switch, an operating handle therefor, yielding means for maintaining said switch normally in its oil position, a distant control system comprising zlectromagnetically-actuatedv means for shifting the point to which the s vitch tends to return when the operating handle is released, and a switch at a distant point for controlling the circuit of said electroniagnet.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 17th day otMay, 1904-.

ARTHUR A. BUCK.

Ii tnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, .I-Inmx Onronn. 

